The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Science. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Astoria Junior High School
Astoria Junior High School serves grades six through eight in a very small community setting in southwestern Fulton County. The school enrolls a small cohort of students, with about equal numbers across the three grades. The enrollment is overwhelmingly white, with one student of two or more races and no students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Income and special education data were not available, so a parent may want to look into those details directly with the school.
The school's academic results tell a clear story: proficiency on state assessments is low across both English language arts and mathematics. In sixth-grade mathematics, less than one in ten students achieved proficiency. Seventh-grade math shows improvement, with roughly one in three students proficient, and eighth grade holds at about the same rate. In English language arts, the trajectory moves upward: sixth grade is around one in five students proficient, seventh grade around four in ten, and eighth grade around half. Eighth-grade science proficiency also reached about half. A parent should know that these figures place the school below the midpoint among other districts in Fulton County on an overall proficiency index. The state recently changed its proficiency cut scores, which affects comparability to earlier years, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about recent trends.
Astoria itself is a rural village in decline. The 2020 census showed a population in the low hundreds, and current estimates indicate ongoing population loss. The village sits along U.S. Route 24, which functions as the main commercial street. The school building is located within the compact town center, a short walk from the small downtown. The housing market is affordable by most measures; median home values are well below state and national benchmarks. The area economy is dispersed across retail, health care, manufacturing, and small local businesses, with no single major employer. There is no public transit service, and the nearest commercial airports are in Peoria, Quincy, or Springfield.
No major district-level changes or referenda were identified in available recent sources. The broader context is a community in long-term decline rather than growth. For families in the area, the school offers traditional middle-grade instruction in a small, rural, very stable setting. Parents concerned about academic proficiency will want to understand what intervention or support strategies the school is using to address the low test results, particularly in mathematics.
See more original research from School Decision →